Q+A: Preah Vihear temple and Thai-Cambodian tensions

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Fighting broke out on Friday between Thai and Cambodian soldiers on a disputed stretch of the border between the two Southeast Asian countries, the latest flare-up in an ancient feud over a 900-year-old Hindu temple.

Below are some facts about the temple, the territorial dispute and possible political ramifications in Thailand.

WHAT'S THE HISTORY OF PREAH VIHEAR?

Preah Vihear, or Khao Phra Viharn as the Thais call it, was completed in the 11th century and predates Cambodia's more famous Angkor Wat temple complex by 100 years.

Many say its stunning setting atop a jungle-clad escarpment overlooking northern Cambodia eclipses its celebrated cousin as the finest of all the ruins left from the mighty Khmer civilization.

The temple has in recent years been accessible mainly from Thailand. Landmines and Khmer Rouge guerrillas kept it off-limits from the Cambodian side for decades.

WHY THE DISPUTE?

Both sides have historically laid claim to the temple but a 1962 World Court ruling awarded it to Cambodia.

Thailand and Cambodia have squabbled ever since over demarcation of the border and jurisdiction over the 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of land around Preah Vihear, which was not covered by the ruling.

For generations, the temple has stirred nationalist passions on both sides. Before the court in The Hague issued its ruling, Thailand's government organized a fundraiser in which every citizen donated 1 baht to pay for the legal team.

HAS THERE BEEN VIOLENCE OVER THIS IN THE PAST?

Cambodia's bid since March 2008 to list the ruins as a World Heritage Site sparked an exchange of gunfire in October that year in which one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers died.

There have since been sporadic flare-ups, the most recent in April last year, when there were no casualties.

However, the dispute has been back in the headlines since the end of last year, when a group of Thai nationalists was arrested for allegedly encroaching into Cambodian territory.

A Cambodian court sentenced two of them on February 1 to jail terms of six and eight years for trespass and spying.

"Yellow shirt" nationalists demonstrating over the territorial dispute near the Thai prime minister's office since January 25 have threatened to step up their protests, putting pressure on the government to take a tougher line.

HOW IS THE DISPUTE BEING RESOLVED?

The two countries routinely pledge cooperation over the temple issue, give guarantees their border troops will engage in no hostilities and agree to delineate the border once and for all, but the quarrelling never seems to stop.

Thailand wants joint development and supervision of the Hindu temple, which could one day be a lucrative tourist site.

However, the debate is often used in both countries as a tool to gain popular support or to distract the public from other issues at home.

(Compiled by Martin Petty and Alan Raybould; Editing by Jason Szep and Ron Popeski)